


Scars and Counting

by Killedbycroc



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-18
Updated: 2012-12-18
Packaged: 2017-11-21 12:08:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/597581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Killedbycroc/pseuds/Killedbycroc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For a second, her father stared at her, a faint trace of emotion showing in his eyes, just like when Mother was still here... "Clean this up now," he surveyed the mess around them, "we don't want people to think we live in a pig-sty."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scars and Counting

  The bitter winds whipped across her face, as she rushed inside to escape from the weather, but she received a less than warm welcome when she stepped inside.  
  "Do you realise what time it is?" Her father boomed from the living room, and she knew what was coming next. "You're late again! How do you expect to be of any use when you can't even be here at the right _time?!_ " A vase was grabbed and flew through the air. She jumped to the side; it narrowly missed her head, the main target, but still managed to graze her right cheek. Instantly she clutched her face, trying to stop the pain that was ebbing there. For a second, her father stared at her, a faint trace of emotion showing in his eyes, just like when Mother was still here... "Clean this up now," he surveyed the mess around them, "we don't want people to think we live in a pig-sty." Before walking out of the front door, he spat in her eye, and shoved her to the floor, the pieces of china on the floor cutting into her hands. A glance at them showed a lot of blood, as well as droplets of it in the carpet. Blood is always a nightmare to get out, she thought to herself once more. For the remainder of her evening, she swept and she scrubbed and she cleaned just as hard as she did every night. Once everything was done, she was too tired to even stand up, and began to make her way up to her room, but she stopped when she saw herself in the mirror. A big red scab took up the entire right-side of her face, masking her beauty along with her terror; two permanent black eyes from the constant beatings would always remind her of her place in society. But the most terrifying thing she saw were her eyes - they were emotionless. She thought that she had managed to keep a brave facade on her, but those eyes... there was nothing left in them. Totally empty of anything, how she wished that her life could be like.  
  Curling up in a ball on her bed, desperately trying to keep warm for just another night, the past came back to haunt her again.  
  
 _"Don't cry sweetheart," her mother whispered softly into her ear, tears streaming down her own face. "I promise we'll get out of this, both of us together." She was embraced into a hug, the delicate scent of her mother's perfume making everything seem better in an instant.  
  A car pulled into the drive - her mother lifted her head instinctively, as her role of a bear taking care of her bear cub took over her judgement. "Run sweetheart." The sound barely came out, but before she had chance to listen, her arm was being furiously pulled in the opposite direction of the front door. They headed into the forest, found metres from their back step, and began negotiating with brambles and thorns, ducking and diving on every other step. But her mother was moving too fast, and soon enough her grip slipped from her hand. She fell over, grazing her right shin badly against the forest floor.  
  "Mommy!" She cried out in desperation, and her mother turned around, but then she ran, deeper into the heart of the forest, leaving her to fend for herself. She couldn't understand why her mother abandoned her like this, when mere moments ago she had told her that they would both get out alive.  
  "Don't you _ ever _run from me again!" A hand clenched tightly around her small wrist, and then she understood why her mother ran away like a startled deer - she knew the beatings that would come from trying to escape, and now she was left alone, to take the brunt of them by herself. She began to cry, trying to explain that it wasn't her idea to run, but a heavy clip around the head shut her up in an instant, only a taste of what was to come in the future._  
  
  A single tear escaped from her, silently trickling down her pale, drawn face. Her mother had been the only happy memory of this family, but she had done nothing to save her. Nine years, and not a single sign of help. Of rescue. Of hope.  
  The thudding against the front door told her that her father had returned, drunk to the bone. She braced herself for what punishment she was going to have to endure tonight, praying that he hadn't drunk as much as he had for the past two weeks.  
  His heavy feet against the stairs were like a clock, counting down to her misery and suffering. A couple of times he stumbled, bracing himself against the wall as he made his way upstairs. She curled herself up even tighter, thinking that somehow this would make her invisible to her father, that maybe he wouldn't come inside if she stayed quiet enough. However, mere moments later, she heard a loud thud, and as her eyes flew open, she saw that her door was nearly off its hinges, and her father was standing there with a look in his eyes that she had never seen before; it was nearly murderous, but there seemed to be some sort of glee in them as well.  
  "Hello darling," he slurred heavily over the words, and lumbered his way towards her, swaying so much that he had to steady himself part-way through the seven-step walk. "I thought we'd try something different tonight." His breath reeked of alcohol, so badly that she turned her head away in disgust, but before she could breathe in fresh air, he grabbed her face tightly in his hand and turned it harshly back to face him. "Don't be like that with me," he spat on her, like the worthless piece of garbage she was. Without warning, he tried to get on top of her, sliding his hand further up her leg. That was the last straw for her; what made her fight back for the years of abuse she'd received. She kneed him in the groin, and as he recoiled from the blow, pushed him off of her and ran, ran as fast as she could towards the forest that saved her mother so many years ago. However, she was weak, unable to keep going for more than a few minutes, so had to hide in the forest, praying that she had enough cover around her that she would stay hidden.  
  "GET BACK HERE NOW YOU LITTLE TART!" Her father's words rang throughout the area, but no other houses surrounded them, leaving her alone and even more vulnerable. She started to shake, not from the cold - but from the pure fear that ran through her veins in that instant. Her breathing was broken and shaky; she knew that if she didn't calm down soon, he would hear her, and then she would never live to see another day of beatings again. Often she had prayed for that, to be free of the life that she had cruelly been tied to, but she did not want her father to be the one to take her out of the existence.  
  The area surrounding her had been silent for at least five minutes now, giving her a feeling of safety. Still, she was cautious with her movements, and crept around, trying to see if he was still around. No sign of him was anyway, so she began to run again, copying nearly the exact same path that her and her mother had taken all those years ago. Now she would finally be free, and she could live a normal life like all those other girls who went to the mall and gossiped about their boyfriends and...  
  She fell, stumbling once again on the objects that lay on the forest floor. As she tried to stand up though, something heavy hit against her head, sending her back to the floor. She could feel the blood trickling out of the wound on her head, but her thoughts became cloudy, and she couldn't think straight anymore... Maybe she needed to sleep... Yeah, a short nap would clear her mind... Her eyes shut, but this time, it was forever, and the sweet release she had always dreamed of never came to her, cursing her with the humility of having shared her last moments with the person who hated her most in the world. Herself.


End file.
